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A Melbourne man has been found guilty of murdering a woman he met online and dumping her body in landfill, later claiming she simply vanished from her home wearing a pink nightgown.
A Supreme Court jury found Joon Seong Tan murdered 33-year-old Ju Zhang, also known as Kelly, at her home in Epping shortly after they had dinner with her eight-year-old son on February 2, 2021.
Prosecutors told the jury Tan, 37, later put Zhang’s body in a bin and drove it in his car to Heidelberg Heights, where he watched on as it was later collected by a rubbish truck.
He then researched phrases online including “how many years for killing a person in Australia” and “how is stinky garbage disposed in Australia”.
The mother’s remains were later discovered at a Wollert landfill site in June 2021 on the fourth day of an extensive police search.
It followed days of scouring waterways and thick bushland in Heidelberg West and Ivanhoe and repeated public appeals for information to help locate the missing mother.
Police search a landfill site in Wollert in June 2021 as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Ju Zhang. Credit: Nine News
The jury heard Tan and Zhang had been dating for a short time after meeting online. Zhang later told friends their relationship had soured, and she liked another man better.
At the same time Tan referred to her as his “wife” in conversations with a friend.
On the night of her killing, the jury were told the pair shared dinner with Zhang’s son before she was attacked sometime between 5pm and 6pm at her home on Winchester Avenue.
The following morning Tan dropped off Zhang’s son at school before returning to watch a rubbish truck empty the victim’s body from a wheelie bin and drive away.
Police searching an area of bushland and Darebin Creek west of Sheehan Road.Credit: Justin McManus
Tan, police said, also told a friend he believed Zhang had cheated and if it were true he would “kill her, hug her and die together”.
Police believe Tan was angry about Zhang’s interest in another man and killed her during an argument at her home. She was reported missing in the days that followed.
At the time, Tan had told police he saw Zhang leave her home wearing pyjamas and a dressing gown but never returned.
During the trial, crown prosecutor Jeremy McWilliam said Zhang sustained at least one stab wound near her heart.
Tan, a Malaysian national, was arrested and interviewed before being released by police on February 6, 2021.
He was rearrested at Melbourne Airport on February 10 after failing to meet police at his home. Tan was charged with murder the following day.
Following a month-long trial in the Supreme Court, Tan was found guilty of murder on Wednesday.
The matter will return to court next week.
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
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